Ecuador Failed Coup d’état – September 30, 2010

By Padmini Arhant

On September 30, 2010, yet another Latin American nation was targeted with a coup attempt by the police forces apparently not acting alone in the calculated operation fortunately resulting in a massive failure due to the brave civil society mobilization and the Ecuadorian security personnel prompt action.

Unlike the successful Honduran coup in June 2009 with the democratically elected leader Manuel Zelaya deposed against the republic will evidently involving Washington coup consultants and their liaison,

The Ecuadorian mission was a renewed political assault on its sovereignty testing the democratic strength that conveyed a defiant message to the perpetrators not to underestimate the people power.

According to the reports – the law on the spending cuts was falsely propagated as having direct impact on the police officers’ bonuses and job benefits despite no pay or perquisite reductions providing a pretext for the conspirators to instigate uprising in the capital city, Quito and the Guayquil harbor town.

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Padmini Arhant

France Austerity through Pension Reform Bill

By Padmini Arhant

The French Senate passed the Pension Reform bill with 177-153 votes by adopting the single vote rule under the constitutional special provision.

The Senate bypassed the regular legislative process to avoid the U.S. equivalent filibuster reportedly rejecting a significant proportion of the 1000 amendments presented by the concerned elected representatives in the opposition.

Ever since the French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared the Pension Reform extending the retirement and full pension qualifying age from 60 to 62 and 65 to 67 respectively, the French labor force have carried out demonstrations in protest of the controversial bill.

The workers’ justified objection to the bill arise from the inherent financial burden upon them to fund the retirees’ pension, besides the anecdotal resolution resulting in the pension system default to deficit in 2018.

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Padmini Arhant

Independent Palestine – End to Israeli Occupation and Jewish Settlements

By Padmini Arhant

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process had tremendous potential for development and the recent impasse is primarily due to the lack of political will in leading the authorities to the desirable outcome.

Although the moratorium expiry on settlement expansion has contributed to the friction with the building permit issued for an estimated 534 homes in the Palestinian territory - West Bank, the United States less enthusiastic efforts to dissuade the controversial incursion predominantly derailed the progress.

Lately, the legitimate questions were raised through the panel on Israeli-Palestinian peace process:

QUESTIONS From:

Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar – Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies - Thank you.

In the continued absence of a political resolution to the conflict,

1. Why must occupation be the default position?

Response - Occupation will no longer be the default position. The Israeli authorities are being misguided by the real forces behind the Middle-Eastern quagmire.

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Padmini Arhant

XIX Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 – Farewell Ceremony

By Padmini Arhant

The XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi concluded this week with a grand closing ceremony.

Congratulations! To the Commonwealth Nations athletes for their victory in various sports.

Every one of them has tremendous skills in the relevant activity and the permeating exuberance added confidence among the contestants.

Hats off! To the Indian Athletes for their superb performance despite the critics’ dismal forecast at the CWG onset.

Besides maintaining the sports spirit your zeal to deal with the challenges every step of the way was admirable.

The rural India athletes especially the Northern State of Haryana were the superstars in the Indian team,

Considering the lack of opportunities and facilities available to them as compared to the urban sportsmen and women.

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Padmini Arhant

Freedom Struggle – People vs. Power in the New World Order

By Padmini Arhant

Evidently, the facts in every respect confirm that the nation is heading in the wrong direction.

The NWO chartered by the secret society elite members has grave consequences.

It is exacerbated by their unwillingness to confront the people on the illogic strategies behind relentless warfare, sinking economy, alarming national debt, rising health care costs, cataclysmic energy undertakings and importantly - gross violation of the constitution in every possible civil and human rights issue.

When the incumbent administration launched the Presidential campaign in 2007, the core message was about the country and the world in need of a dramatic Change with tremendous Hope raised on the campaign trail.

The message for most part of the campaign resonated the impending Change and delineated from the opponents as them being –

More of the Same citing the Bush-Cheney administrations’ disastrous course on war, economy, environment and utter disregard for the constitution.

Although the Bush-Cheney record is unique in aimlessly leading the nation and the world on wild adventures causing immeasurable misery all around,

The current administration’s Bush policy continuation and complicity to the crimes committed by the predecessor is a major concern among the electorate that casted their vote for Hope and Change.

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Padmini Arhant

New Global Era - Peace, Democracy, Social and Economic Progress

By Padmini Arhant

The overwhelming majority having experienced a catastrophic twentieth century with death, destruction, genocide and carnage while the powerful minority reaping all the benefits,

There was tremendous hope for a better world at the dawn of the new millennium.

The general expectation was a paradigm shift in the political systems paving way for economic and social progress.

Among the six billion population - the industrialized nation like the United States has around 45 million children living in hunger and poverty. It is disproportionately higher at the global level.

Despite the staggeringly lower literacy rate in the developing nations,

The children are not attending school and gaining knowledge by exploring the wonders of science and technology, learning music and arts and importantly playing sports, essentially living a normal life.

Instead, they are either exploited in the sweat shops or trained to use firearms for recruitment in civil wars and by terror networks.

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Padmini Arhant

War and Geo-Political Status 21st Century – The Ultimate Resolution

By Padmini Arhant

In the twenty first century, the war is interestingly waged in Islamic nations around the world.

Beginning with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Palestinian Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem, Yemen, Chechnya, Somalia and Sudan with skirmishes in Central Asia as seen in the recent Kyrgyzstan with Uzbek Muslims largely massacred in ethnic violence –

Terrorism and insurgencies are the by-product of relentless warfare and foreign policies fostering political instability in turn exacerbating economic and social development.

The trend is prevalent to date.

Afghanistan – The former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney started the war in 2001 declaring the terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden will be captured “dead or alive.”

Even the message resonated in the 2008 Presidential campaign with Senator John McCain as the Republican Presidential candidate pledging -

“I will follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell.”

The Democratic Presidential candidate, the then Senator Barack Obama essentially repeated his predecessor’s rhetoric –

“Bush had earlier vowed to catch bin Laden “Dead or Alive,” and … “My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. …”

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Padmini Arhant

War and Geo-Political Status 20th Century

By Padmini Arhant

The global economy is still far from recovery and most nations are dealing with austerity, Europe in particular much against their population will.

Meanwhile, among them an overwhelming majority have disproportionate defense budget that is not targeted in the spending cuts. United States has an exceptionally higher defense expenditure that is invariably passed with bipartisan approval regardless of the political party in power.

Whereas, the other life threatening issues concerning jobs, health care, social security, housing…are usually subjective to filibuster and marginalization at the worst resulting in a meaningless final product.

The contemporary society is currently confronted with the so-called war on terror. Although terrorism took birth in the twentieth century predominantly through Middle East conflicts, it escalated in the twenty first century with 9/11 becoming the premise for relentless warfare fomenting terrorism seeing no end in sight.

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XIX Commonwealth Games Grand Opening Ceremony – Delhi, India

By Padmini Arhant

Heartfelt Congratulations! To India, especially Delhi, the XIX Commonwealth Games host on the spectacular extravaganza prominently showcased at the ‘Gala Opening Ceremony,’ held on October 2, 2010 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

You did it! That too with magnificent glory and pride.

It’s a testimony that whenever human talent is challenged with the ‘impossible’ verdict, the inspirational spirit within guides to rise to the occasion and prove it otherwise.

The ceremony is an amazing feat for the vibrant civilization unfolded in the twenty first century technological era in perfect harmony and wrapped in a colorful cultural performance depicting the magical kingdom of India through the refracted prism images from the spectrum of light illuminating the sky with mesmerizing fireworks.

Technology oriented themes such as the ‘Aerostat,’ a large helium balloon raised to the maximum 30 meters height above the ground, decorated with mirrors and rainbow lights is designed to project high resolution video occurrence and visuals at 360 degrees in addition to synchronizing with the parade on the ground.

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Ayodhya Verdict – Indian High Court Decision

By Padmini Arhant

The Allahabad High Court in the Indian northern state Uttar Pradesh delivered its verdict on the long awaited settlement related to the Ayodhya Holy site shared between Hindus and Muslims since 16th century.

Ayodhya has religious significance being the Hindu God, Lord Ram’s birth place.

Lord Ram is the virtuous Avatar or Reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Ram exemplified peace commitments through self-sacrifice.

Similarly, the Mosque on the site attracted many Muslims from far and wide. It was a common worship place for both religious groups over four centuries.

However, the tranquility dissipated leading to litigation over the land proprietary rights.

The lawsuit filed much earlier on finally came to fruition with the court’s decision on September 29, 2010.

Judiciary was fairly represented with a Muslim and Hindu justices serving the respective religious interests within the constitutional law.

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Padmini Arhant